The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) Conference took place in Philadelphia this year, and members of the Arcadia Criminology and Criminal Justice program took full advantage of having the event right in their backyard.

Kristen Iles ’26, Aidan Murray ’29, Marina Rios ’26, Victoria Rivera ’29, and Jacob Spina ’26, along with Dr. Jennifer Stanley, assistant professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice; Dr. Favian Martin, associate professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice; and Dr. Keisha Robinson, director of the Social Action and Justice Education (SAJE) Fellowship program shared their research and expertise in front of an international audience.

“When I was in college, I had great mentors and really meaningful research experiences that fueled my passion for criminal justice research and helped develop the skills I use today,” Stanley said. “Being able to mentor students and involve them in research is my way of giving back and helping them build those same kinds of experiences.”

Stanley teamed up with Spina on the presentation, “Frequent flyers for the Restricted Housing Unit: Analyzing substance use, mental health, and patterns of prison misconduct.” 

Using data from Stanley’s dissertation, the duo focused specifically on how prison misconduct varies across different behavioral health conditions and how staff perspectives help explain those patterns.

“Jacob played an important role in this project, assisting with the literature review, organizing the data, preparing materials, and helping develop the presentation,” Stanley said. “He did a fantastic job, and it is great to see all of his hard work pay off through this conference opportunity.”

Rivera, a Criminology and Criminal Justice major with a concentration in Law Enforcement, worked with Martín on the presentation, “Visible Absences: Public Art, Cultural Criminology, and the Crisis of Missing Indigenous Women.” The idea sprouted from an experience in Martín’s CJ160: Crime and Punishment course. 

In the course, students discussed the treatment of Indigenous women, specifically their suffering and how it is overlooked in various media forms. After she displayed a visceral reaction to the lesson, Martín spoke with Rivera and suggested that they work on a presentation for ACJS to help spread awareness of the topic. 

“I was a bit nervous at first, but I knew I was very familiar with the work and research,” Rivera explained. “Being able to talk to all kinds of people that specialize in research for our criminal justice field was inspiring. I really loved being able to express myself and talk about the issue to others who equally care about resolving the ongoing issue Indigenous women face. I am taking all of the positive feedback with me for future research I do on this topic.”

Rivera is excited to have participated in an opportunity like this so early in her Arcadia career. She hopes this is the first of many times she presents research at a conference.

“This experience showed me that I can express myself in ways that truly help others be heard,” she said. “By that, it accomplishes the purpose of my poster: to spread awareness for the missing and murdered Indigenous women community.”

In addition, Arcadia presentations included Murray and Martín sharing “Haunted Histories: Race, Ghosts, and the Afterlife of Colonial Violence in Williamsburg”; Rios working with Robinson to present their research entitled “Roll the Dice: Do Fostered Youth Stand a Chance in Juvenile Justice?”; and Iles presenting her work, “Scripts of Harm: Television, Race, and the Cultural Work of Violence.”

Martín, along with former Arcadia professor Dr. Kevin Revier of The State University of New York at Cortland, also shared information about the Preview the World course, “Teaching the Haunted: Using Ghost Criminology and Dark Tourism to Confront Social Inequality in Dublin.” The presentation focused on how the course connects with themes of ghost criminology and dark tourism.